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What we think
The PerfectRec laptop team Learn more
Updated January 10, 2024·
The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i is less expensive with a decent performance for general use, lighter and more portable with a longer battery life; it's well-suited for everyday tasks and light professional work. It features a basic integrated GPU, full HD display, and adequate storage and memory. On the other hand, the Lenovo ThinkPad Z16, while more expensive, offers a higher storage capacity, double the memory, and a more powerful processor and GPU. It has an OLED display with higher resolution, touchscreen, and superior color accuracy, better for professional creative tasks, intensive engineering software, and 3D work, albeit it’s heavier with a shorter battery life. Give Feedback
this description is based on the product variant with some specs and product variant with some specs. At the time of writing, the variant with some specs cost some dollars and the variant with some specs cost some dollars.
Advantages of the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i
- Very good portability
- Very good battery life
Advantages of the Lenovo ThinkPad Z16
- Very good for general use
- Very good for engineering and design
- Very good for software development
- Very good for content creation
- Very good overall display quality
- Very good overall build quality
- Best in class speakers
- Excellent keyboard
Key differences
General Use
7.7
8.6
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
340.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
393.0 nits
11.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
7.0 Hours
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
8.9/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.8/10
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 is very good for general use, while the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i is good.
The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i is a solid choice for general use with its reasonable screen quality, light weight, and strong battery life, making it very portable while the included Intel CPU and sufficient RAM handle everyday tasks effectively. The Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 stands out as very good for general use because it boosts performance with a more powerful AMD CPU and double the RAM, an OLED screen that offers superior visuals, a larger screen size, and better build quality, albeit it is heavier and has reduced battery life compared to the Slim 7i.
Engineering and Design
7.1
8.4
5.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.6/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 is very good for engineering and design, while the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i is good.
The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i, with its decent processing power, ample RAM, and integrated graphics, works well for engineering and design but is outpaced by the Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 which boasts a more powerful CPU, double the RAM, a dedicated GPU, and a superior OLED screen with higher resolution and color accuracy. While the Slim 7i offers greater portability and is quieter, the ThinkPad Z16 wins in terms of brute performance and top-tier display quality, though it comes with more weight and potentially more operating noise.
Content Creation
7.7
8.5
5.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 is very good for content creation, while the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i is good.
PerfectRec’s Content Creation Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for photo editing, video editing and other content creation tasks.
Software Development
7.5
8.2
5.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 is very good for software development, while the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i is good.
PerfectRec’s Software Development Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for software developers.
Screen Quality
6.9
8.5
14.0in
SIZE
16.0in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
340.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
393.0 nits
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 has a better screen than the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
For general use, the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i provides a fine balance of resolution and brightness, ensuring clear images and comfortable viewing, but the ThinkPad Z16 offers even better clarity and visibility due to its higher resolution and superior brightness. In engineering and design contexts, the ThinkPad Z16 stands out with its wider color gamut coverage, presenting more accurate colors for detailed projects, which is less pronounced in the IdeaPad Slim 7i. However, for gaming and 3D applications, neither model excels due to their lower refresh rates, despite having adequate resolutions and panel types for these tasks.
Battery
11.5 Hours
7.0 Hours
The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i has 11.5 hours of battery life. The Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 has 7 hours of battery life.
Battery life estimate is based on a mix of common use patterns. More portable and higher performing laptops tend to have less battery life.
Portability
Very Good
Good
14.0in
SIZE
16.0in
2.9 lbs
WEIGHT
4.2 lbs
0.5in
THICKNESS
0.6in
The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i has very good portability, while the Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Cost
$899
$1,120
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
$1,600
$1,800
The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i has a price of $899 and the Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 costs $1,120.
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Key similarities
Gaming and AI
6.2
6.7
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.6/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
9.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
8.0/10
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 and Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i are both only fair for gaming and AI.
The Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 offers superior gaming and 3D performance over the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i primarily because the ThinkPad Z16 comes with a dedicated AMD RX 6500M graphics card, which is significantly more powerful than the integrated Iris Xe graphics in the IdeaPad Slim 7i. Additionally, the ThinkPad Z16 features a higher quality OLED screen and better screen resolution, although both laptops have the same screen refresh rate.
Build Quality
7.8
8.0
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 to have very good build quality, while the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
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We’re constantly working to improve.
How the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i and the Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i | Lenovo ThinkPad Z16 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$899 | $1,120 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | October 1, 2020 | May 1, 2023 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 12.6'' x 8.2'' x 0.59'' | 14'' x 9.4'' x 0.62'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 2.99 lbs | 4.27 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 12.62" | 13.95" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 8.2" | 9.35" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel i7-1165G7 | AMD Ryzen 7 6850H | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 32 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 4 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 0 | 0 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 512 GB | 2048 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 11.5 Hours | 7 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 60.7 Wh | 72 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 14" | 16" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | OLED | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1920 x 1080 | 3840 x 2400 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 60Hz | 60Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 340 nits | 393 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.8/10 | 8/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 8.9/10 | 7.9/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | No | No | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | Yes | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 9.5/10 | 8/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 8/10 | 9/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 7.5/10 | 9.6/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 720p | 1080p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | Yes | Yes | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | No | No | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 2 | 0 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 2 | 3 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 3 | 3 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | 4 | N/A | |
Shopping
Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i
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Dig into reviews and images
PCMag
Ted Needleman
| January 2022
"Among Lenovo's multiple laptop brands, the IdeaPad family is decidedly the one designed for consumers: people who want decent performance at a reasonable price. Consider, then, this laptop a paragon for the pickier members of that crowd. With a 14-inch touch-enabled display, a comfortable keyboard, an Evo-certified Intel Core i7 11th Generation CPU, and the latest Windows 11 operating system, the IdeaPad Slim 7i Pro ultraportable ($1,199 as tested) is a slick mainstream machine at a bit of a premium price, and quite capable for everyday tasks."
Lenovo ThinkPad Z16
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Dig into reviews and images
PCWorld
Matthew S. Smith | September 2022
"Lenovo’s ThinkPad Z16 tries has some success in its effort to tweak the ThinkPad formula. The laptop is attractive, yet still tame, and material quality is on par with the best Windows competition. I also like the smooth, responsive haptic touchpad and the wide range of modern connectivity. Yet the Z16 doesn’t fix ThinkPad’s typical weakness: value. Starting around $1,550, and more typically near $1,700, the Z16 finds itself facing alternatives that have better performance or an improved display for the same price, or less."
Get a great deal on the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7i or the Lenovo ThinkPad Z16
About Lenovo
Lenovo is a Chinese technology company, and one of the largest personal computer vendor. They are well known for a variety of technology products, including laptops. Their consumer series include their entry level IdeaPad and LOQ series and mid-to-high-end Yoga and Legion series. On the business-oriented side, their series include their entry-level ThinkBook series and mid-to-high-end ThinkPad series. Lenovo laptops offer strong performance for reasonable prices, and are often on sale.
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